Re: Tis a Pity

Similarly to Raisa, I also looked at ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore in terms of doubling and mirroring. In Act 1, Scene 2 when Annabella and Giovanni confess their love to each other, they recite the same lines to each other in what resembles a mock marriage ceremony. She kneels first and says “On my knees, / Brother, even by our mother’s dust, I charge you, / Do not betray me to your mirth or hate; / Love me, or kill me, brother” (1.2.243–246). Giovanni then repeats the same lines, calling her “Sister,” except he changes “our mother’s dust” to “my mother’s dust” (1.2.247). Based on this simple word change in otherwise identical speeches, it seems that Annabella is more closely holding on to their endogamous status, whereas Giovanni claims the family ancestry for himself. In terms of Quilligan’s argument, it seems to me that this small difference shows the extent to which Annabella is conscious of keeping herself within the family and claiming her sociopolitical connections.

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